YouTube is introducing a new experimental feature that will let viewers add “notes” beneath videos to provide more context and information, the company told TechCrunch exclusively. If the feature sounds similar, that's because it follows the same concept as X's (formerly Twitter's) Community Notes.
The Google-owned company said the feature could be used to clarify whether a song is a parody or let viewers know if old footage depicts current events.
The release comes during a crucial year for the US presidential election. Misinformation was a major issue in the 2020 presidential election, and with the rise of generative AI, it looks set to be an even bigger problem in the 2024 election. With this new feature, YouTube appears to be trying to minimize the spread of misinformation on its platform.
The pilot will initially be available in English on mobile devices in the United States.
YouTube acknowledges that mistakes may occur during testing and expects that some notes may not be a good fit for a video or may contain incorrect information. The company plans to learn from the testing phase and also welcomes feedback from viewers and creators on the quality of notes.
As part of the testing phase, a limited number of users will be invited to write notes. Eligible users must have an active YouTube channel in good standing.
U.S. viewers will start seeing the annotations on their videos in the coming weeks and months. During the initial pilot, third-party evaluators will rate the annotations for their usefulness and accuracy, and YouTube will use these responses to train the system.
If the independent rater finds the notes useful, they will be displayed below the video. Viewers will be asked whether they find the notes useful, somewhat useful, or not useful. They will also be asked why they find the notes useful or not useful. For example, you might say that you found the notes useful because they cited quality sources or because they were written in a neutral manner.
YouTube uses an algorithm to determine which notes to publish based on the ratings it receives. The algorithm identifies notes that are useful to a broad audience. For example, if many users who previously rated notes differently now rate a particular note as helpful, YouTube will be more likely to display that note under the video.
The company said the system will continue to improve as more comments are posted and rated on different types of videos on the platform. As the feature improves, YouTube will also decide whether it's worth rolling out officially.